August 14, 2012 — Following a sharp 30% drop during Q1 2012, worldwide shipments of flat-panel televisions returned to growth in Q2, according to a preliminary estimate from the new Worldwide Monthly TV Tracker issued by Displaybank, a business of IHS.

Worldwide shipments of flat-panel televisions, a category consisting of liquid crystal display (LCD) and plasma sets, rose to 48.9 million units in Q2, up 3.6% from 47.2 million from Q1.

Figure. Preliminary IHS estimate of quarterly flat-panel television shipments, based on data from the Worldwide Monthly TV Tracker.

“After an unusually weak start to 2012, global television shipments showed some signs of life,” said Tom Morrod, senior analyst and head of TV technology at IHS, adding that the seasonal post-holiday TV sales drop was “unusually sharp” in 2012 because of “tentative consumer spending.” Q2 is following normal seasonal patterns, with likely growth continuing in Q3.

Q2 started off on a strong note, with shipments in April rising by 4% from March to reach the highest levels of the year up to that point. While shipments declined slightly in May and June, the increase in April was sufficient to drive growth for the entire quarter.

Worldwide LCD TV shipments increased 3.4% in the second quarter, following a 29.3% drop in Q1. While worldwide plasma shipments are generally declining, they enjoyed a 6.6% bump in Q2, compared to a 39.5% plunge in the previous quarter.

In the LCD segment, which accounts for the overwhelming majority of flat-panel display (FPD) shipments, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. remained the leading brand in the Q2, according to the preliminary estimate. Samsung was responsible for 19.2% of unit shipments, down just slightly from 19.3% in Q1. LG Electronics held its second-place ranking with a 13.2% share of shipments, unchanged from Q1.

Samsung has “shrewd marketing, global distribution and efficient production” in its corner, Morrod observed. “Both Samsung and fellow South Korean brand LG are able to undercut their Japanese rivals on pricing, allowing them to retain their leadership. And with the Japanese market contracting dramatically, the companies based in the country have struggled to find new volume sales opportunities elsewhere.”

The strongest performance among the Top 5 was posted by No. 4-ranked TCL Corp. of China, which increased its share of shipments to 6.5 percent, up from 5.9 percent in the first quarter.

“TCL is prospering both because of overseas sales, which were up by about 150,000 units in the second quarter, and due to domestic Chinese sales,” Morrod said. “The company is taking advantage of capitalizing on rising sales in China in addition to upping its stature abroad.”

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